CMI on TV Blog Post

It a surprise from the pro-choice entrainment world , but CBS’ The Good Wife recently dared to present pro-life arguments in a rational, respectful way. A side plot to the March 22 episode of CBS’ The Good Wife featured two characters, Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) and R.D. (Oliver Platt) arguing over abortion. R.D., the pro-lifer, demanded to know why a five-month-old fetus is “not a baby?” While on a hunting retreat in Wyoming, Diane, the law-firm boss of main character Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies), met a man named R.D. Unlike the other conservative gun-lovers (including her husband) on the trip,... continue reading

Ok, ok, we get it. Lena Dunham likes sex. After creating the hit TV show Girls (HBO), Dunham has become something of a poster child for sex without consequences and abortion-on-demand in popular media. So it’s no surprise that her guest appearance on Scandal (ABC) came with a heavy side of sexual adventure and condemnation for anyone who would dare not affirm those choices. On Thursday night’s Scandal episode, Sue Thomas (Lena Dunham) is an author of a soon-to-be-published book detailing her erotic confessions of kinky affairs with the elite of Washington, D.C. Sue is confronted by Olivia Pope (Kerry... continue reading

Whether you look at the social effects of The Cosby Show or Will & Grace, it is clear that television can influence public opinion for better or for worse. The question, then, is why does Empire (FOX) choose to shape it for the worse? Empire has the opportunity to teach about racial tolerance through its portrayal of a black family, and culture, but instead it settles for political allegiances and casual racism against whites. The series tells the story of a music label’s CEO, Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), who is given a fatal diagnosis of ALS. Lucious must then choose... continue reading

Music has always been a big part of television. But, let’s face it, some shows do it better. While many sitcoms and dramas rely on beats to merely fill in the background, these four shows represent musically distinct TV shows that allow the tunes to occasionally steal the spotlight. FOX’s new series, Empire , is about power hungry family dynamics and the music industry. This show features musical styles of rap, R&B, and hip hop. If you want to listen to artists that embody this show’s music genre, look no further than the Empire cast (as produced by Timbaland), Lil’... continue reading

Looking back on the latest season of The Bachelor, which had its finale Monday night, a surprising storyline about women’s virginity has emerged throughout the season. The first discussion of this topic was begun by Ashley Iaconetti, who felt like she needed to tell the Bachelor, Chris Soules, in order for him to better understand who she was as a person. She first attempted to tell him in coded language, hinting at her intact virtue, but Chris wasn’t able to put together what she was trying to say. Eventually she straight up stated: “I’m a virgin.” Credit to Chris Soules:... continue reading

The Thursday night series premier of Dig (USA) delivers on its promise of murder, conspiracy, and religion. Dig wastes no time in making its religious undertones as blatant as possible. The show opens quoting a verse from Numbers 6 about bringing a red heifer to sacrifice, and then shows the red cow in Norway with one character stating cryptically: “It has started.” Another announces: “The prophecy has begun.” The show stars Jason Isaacs, as Peter Connelly, an American FBI agent who has transferred to Israel after a tragedy at home. At one point in the first episode Connelly follows a... continue reading

Pro-life messages are not often mentioned on prime time entertainment networks. Nevertheless, Anna Duggar’s pregnancy announcement made the cut on E! News Wednesday night, along with her tweet against abortion. Anna, wife of Josh Duggar from TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” sent out an ultrasound picture of her daughter to her fans Tuesday. E! also shared her accompanying tweet: “But thousands of little girls suffer the pain of abortion each day. Help protect these children.” This is not the first time a member of the Duggar family has used their pregnancy to highlight the pro-life cause . This past summer,... continue reading

Dumb dads are nothing new. From The Simpsons (FOX) to Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally , it has become clear that the 1950’s dads, styled after Leave It To Beaver and Father Knows Best , are long gone. Instead, the foolish father figures have become a TV staple. Current sitcoms like Modern Family (ABC) carry on this tradition of buffoonery with pride. Modern Family’s latest episode Wednesday night features the classic “doofus dad” archetype in the character of Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell.) In the latest episode, Phil spots a small helicopter-like contraption floating near the family pool and he immediately... continue reading

Terrorism, sex, and dysfunctional families, oh my! Throw in some parades and football and you have your Thanksgiving 2014 television line-up. Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time to gather together with friends and family over a fancy dinner with all the fixin’s, a time for laughter, introspection, relaxing and of course giving thanks for all our blessings. Unfortunately the Thanksgiving week line-up isn’t exactly highlighting the lightheartedness or positive values of the holiday but rather brings out the crudeness and dysfunction of friends and family alike. Here’s a list of Thanksgiving-themed episodes you might want to use viewer discretion... continue reading

ABC's pilot episode about a man who can't seem to die brings new life to a plot that ended up dying on Fox in 2008 after just 8 episodes. So far, ABC has managed to change some of the crucial plot flaws that hurt the original. Although not marketed as a reboot, the overarching storylines between both ABC's "Forever" and Fox's "New Amsterdam" are remarkably similar. The premise is simple enough: a Revolutionary War era man does a good deed, ends up killed for it, and then is miraculously resurrected with the caveat that he can't die again. In "New... continue reading

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